Legal Question in Real Estate Law in California
8/2/07 The Pres. & Board resigned from a Non Profit Mut. Ben. Corp. No Mtgs. were scheduled & no business transacted for over 1 yr.
Can the former Pres. disolve the corp. alone, without calling a meeting and getting authorization ?
Can two Board members, who had resigned the yr. before authorize a Transfer of Declarant Right for enforcement of CC&R's from the original corp. to a new corp. without a vote of the membership?
When the Pres. and entire Board resigns and no other appointments are made, do they still retain power to act?
3 Answers from Attorneys
Voluntary dissolution of nonprofit mutual benefit corporations is covered in Corporations Code sections 8610 through 8618. The requirement for approval are set forth in 8610, and include (a) approval of a majority of all members under CC 5033 procedures, or (b) approval of the board and approval of the members under the looser CC 5034 voting procedures. There are also some easier procedures for NPMBCs which are bankrupt, or have no members, or have no assets and have conducted no business for five or more years.
I cannot tell whether the NPMBC in question here dissolved lawfully by a permissible voluntary process. Perhaps it has dissolved involuntarily, or could have been dissolved involuntarily at the time and under the conditions mentioned. See CC (Corporations Code) sections 8510 to 8519.
I agree with Mr. Whipple. Without more facts though it is difficult to say what the best course of action is. Your first step should be to contact the non profit's attorney to discuss the options. If the non profit does not have an attorney you should consult with one to determine what your options are and the pros and cons of each. Sorry I can't be more specific but I'm happy to provide more detailed information once I have more facts regarding the non profit.
Yes, a wind down can be done, by following the bylaws and the state rules and regs. If there are officers of record willing to do this, they can be the ones to do so. How difficult this will be depends upon officers' and members' cooperation. Feel free to contact if serious about getting legal help in doing this.